What happens if we can’t sign a striker

Say United outbid us for Gyokeres, Chelsea nab sesko, Isak too expensive.

What happens then ?

It’s not like there are double digit options for strikers on the market

The club have let it get to a state where it’s *%^@ or bust. It would almost be worth it happening to see the meltdown

Merino?

That's a bit like flying over the Himalayas without checking the fuel, and hoping to sort of glide if you run out.

The modern game is very different to the 1990s - the traditional no9 who plays every game doesn't really exist in the same way.

The game is way faster, the tactics more complex and I think teams vary their strategy a lot more game to game.

I would therefore say that one no 9 signing is not critical for us - however adding to the squad in terms of forward options is.

We have likely for next season for the front 3 forward slots:

Saka, Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard, Nwaneri PLUS Havertz and Merino can fill various roles in midfield or forward line

For me we need two more forwards and I'm not massively fussed if neither is a classic no 9 type.

I think we need one more proven player in their mid 20s who can compete as a first choice and one younger hungry talent - ideally one of them could play across the whole forward line.

Saka and martinelli need to rotate more, to keep them injury free and fresh, we also could do with some more width and pace in particular in the signings.

If we’d gone on to win every game we had the lead in at some point in the league we’d be on for 95 points this season. I know that’s not realistic but it shows just how many points we will feel we’ve thrown away.
We need to focus on getting at least 2 goals up, we’ve only dropped 2 points from being 2 goals in front, 19 dropped points with only a single goal lead

I thought the same.

Scousers linked with Sesko today, United with Gyokeres.

Whats the betting we end up desperately trying to buy Watkins or buy Darwin Nunes so Liverpool can get Sesko.

This kind of braindead nonsense is embarrassing

https://metro.co.uk/2025/05/21/tottenha ... wsnow-feed

As if winning second rate competitions like League Cup or Europa League mean 'success'

This binary portrayal as no trophies being success and trophies being success defies belief.

Funny how Arteta winning FA Cup and charity shields is also ignored by the same morons.

I'd rather come 2nd in PL and get to advanced stages of CL any day. This binary over simplistic take on success is moronic.

Totally disagree, winning trophies is the aim. Coming second whilst shows you are the second best team in the PL mens *%^@ all if you never win a trophy. Adams will often say winning the league cup gave the team the confidence to go win the PL.

I think winning one of the 'minor' trophies will do absolutely nothing for the noise outside of the club in terms of the pressure being put on Arsenal and Arteta to win a big trophy - the goalposts will be shifted......But, I think it does a lot for this group of players, to get that winning feeling and realise what it takes.

No doubt after tonight's game there will be so much noise about Arsenal, I can already see it. Whoever wins tonight will immediately be compared to Arsenal - not Man City, it will be Arsenal. Have they have a more successful season - yes they have, they've won a trophy - Birmingham City have had a more successful season. They both won trophies in competitions Arsenal were too good to enter. So yes, more successful, but not in my opinion a better season, or would I swap seasons with them, and surely everyone can see that we're in a better place despite one of them winning the easiest Europa League trophy since the competition started

I think we can exclude Jesus (for half a season) and Merino (used in an emergency, did ok but clearly not something we want to plan our squad for), and to some extent Nwaneri - still so young and I think whilst talented Arteta doesn't yet fully trust him off the ball.

Trossard and Martinelli are not at the level we need to be a starter in a title and CL winning 11, nor really is Havertz.

If you get a classic 9 and a wide player who can thrive in 1v1's and get goals and assists as Saka does from the right then you're talking about a seriously potent front line
Rodrygo/Gyokeres/Saka
with
Martinelli/Havertz/Trossard as back ups
as well as Jesus and Nwaneri
That would be as good as anything in the prem and in depth terms at least look as strong as anything in europe

Money won by English teams in Europe this season. A potential 6m euros more to the winner tonight and a smaller pot for chelsea if they win the conference league.

We earned £80m more than Man U and Spurs, but that is because we got to the semi final and finished high in the table. If we're looking at the money Man U or Spurs could earn from the CL next year its better to look at what City earned, first KO round which is where I see Man U and Spurs level (unless they get a seriously lucky draw) only earns them an extra 40m euros from what they earned in europe this season - puts a bit more perspective on this game being the game that some say will propel either club forward. 40m euros is 1 decent but not world beating player - or in man U's case might be the amount of money they need to pay off the contracts of some of their higher earners to get them to leave for free!

We were only 2 points off winning the league last season anyway. I don’t think winning a carabao cup would make much difference apart from the narrative would have to change to “Arteta can’t win MAJOR trophies rather than just trophies”

The club World Cup is this summer. Brings big prize money (whilst being a silly competition)

https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/men ... solidarity

The only way to keep the morons' mouths shut is to step up and win the major prizes, namely ECL and/or EPL.
Get that Forward in quickly and start to acclimatise him to the team.
Please stop waiting till the season has started and a few games are already played.

Totally, winning crap small cups is emphatically not a marker of 'success'.

The truth is that certain knobheads will still be claiming we need to do more, even if we won the PL next year. Listening to these cretins just gets you into a vicious cycle of regular sacking of manager and perpetual decline.

https://x.com/maa_gunner/status/1925144 ... -j6VVZXEoA

8 years ago, 75 points in the league for us and only good enough for 5th. Ouch.
Obligatory red card and penalty from Mr Oliver as well

This must count Havertz as a midfield signing but it’s not great.

But then I look down through the purchases since 2020 and whilst of course you can look at the combined purchases of players like Vieira, Lokonga and say that money should have gone on a striker it’s a bit too easy to say that, you could do the same for any club in any season they don’t win the league - a big game of what if.
But also, I don’t think we’ve made many signings since 2020 where I thought the player wasn’t required, we can debate the quality but in most cases just the warm body was required.
People might look at Calafiori and Merino but we did need players in those positions last summer.
For me the problem hasn’t been the other signings we’ve made have stopped us signing a striker/forward it’s simply that we haven’t signed one.
People point at the money spent since Arteta came in, but try to find anyone else who can take a squad from 11th place when they take over, spend an average of £20-25m per player and build a squad that can be so close to winning the league, it’s over 30 signings I think. In the context of everyone else in football it’s a pretty amazing transfer record

Agreed.

It wasn't a great tackle though, was it?

What a finish by Ramsey.

I've shifted emphatically to wanting Spurs to lose tonight. Winning trophies isn't everyhing and the Europa isn't much these days, but them winning something this season and us empty-handed would be obscene.

Not sure you can complain about the red

He should have just walked down the tunnel without waiting.

I think a prime Aaron Ramsey would probably work well in the system arteta plays these days.

Yeah Koscielny’s tackle was a tad forceful!!!….but not high and not two footed. Think you see far more yellows than reds for that

I think Man U still carry a slight auto and fear factor for their European opponents this season - not spurs, but in the prem smaller teams have long since worked out that there is nothing to fear and go and attack them. I think it’s contributed a bit to their results in Europe this year

Delap?